Assignments and licences.
WHAT AN ASSIGNMENT IS
A transfer of ownership.
WHAT A LICENCE IS
Permission to use, with ownership retained.
WHY THE DISTINCTION MATTERS
A licence can be limited, revoked in defined circumstances, or prove insufficient.
WHAT TO OBTAIN FOR ANYTHING CENTRAL TO YOUR BUSINESS
An assignment.
WHAT AN ASSIGNMENT SHOULD STATE
What is assigned, specifically That it is the entire right When it takes effect That the assignor had the right to assign
WHY THAT LAST POINT
They may have used third-party material.
WHAT TO ASK ANY CONTRACTOR
Whether the work incorporates anything they do not own.
WHAT EXAMPLES LOOK LIKE
Stock images Open source components Fonts Code from other projects
WHAT TO ESTABLISH ABOUT EACH
What licence applies, and whether it permits your use.
WHY FONTS SPECIFICALLY
Font licensing is commonly misunderstood and frequently breached.
WHAT TO REQUIRE
A list of third-party components and their licences.
WHAT TO DO ABOUT EMPLOYEES
Ensure contracts address ownership of work created.
WHAT TO DO ABOUT FOUNDERS
Assign anything created before the company existed, to the company.
WHY
It is a standard due diligence finding and it stops transactions.
WHAT TO KEEP
Every assignment, findable.
WHAT TO AUDIT
Who created what, and whether you own it.
